Street-to-street fighting was reported in the Libyan oil town of Brega on Sunday, as the rebels said they were able to breach a residential area in the town’s northeast.

Street-to-street fighting was reported in the Libyan oil town of Brega on Sunday, as the rebels said they were able to breach a residential area in the town's northeast.

Rebel forces said they had re-entered Brega but had not yet managed to wrest control of the town from Muammar Gaddafi’s troops, who have held it since April.
"Some small groups have made it inside, but we do not control the whole (town) yet," said Mohammed Zawi, a spokesman for the rebel forces.

Zawi dismissed rumors that Gaddafi troops had abandoned the town altogether.
"It is now close fighting," he said, indicating a new phase in the four-day rebel campaign.

Some 13 rebel fighters have now been killed and almost 200 wounded since the battle for Brega began on Thursday.

Nestled on the Gulf of Sirte, Brega is made up of three areas, a residential area in the east, a major oil facility in the west and an old town in between.

A small rebel force had entered Brega from the northeast late on Friday, before pulling back for NATO air strikes and for fellow fighters to the south to beat back Gaddafi troops.
Taking Brega is a key strategic goal for the rebels, giving them access to one of the country's largest oil facilities.